Rescue personnel search through the icy rubble of a fire that destroyed a seniors’ residence Friday, Jan. 24, 2014, in L’Isle-Verte, Quebec. Five people are confirmed dead and 30 people are still missing, while with cause of Thursday morning’s blaze is unclear police said. Authorities are using steam to melt the ice and to preserve any bodies that are buried. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

L’ISLE-VERTE, Quebec (AP) — Using steam to melt the ice, investigators searched the frozen-over ruins of a retirement home Friday for victims of a fire that left at least eight people dead and about 30 missing.

The tragedy cast such a pall over the village of 1,500 that psychologists were sent door to door.

“It’s absolute desolation,” Mayor Ursule Theriault said.

The cause of the blaze that swept through the three-story building early Thursday was under investigation, and police asked the public for any videos or photos that might yield clues.